On First Listen: OGRE YOU ASSHOLE

ByPatrick St. Michel

This Monday, Sunset Rubdown comes to Osaka to perform at Sunsui. Being a big Sunset Rubdown fan, I plan on doing everything in my power to get to this show. I also became curious about the other band on the bill, OGRE YOU ASSHOLE (bet you I know what the first question they get asked is).

An initial listen to their music paints them as a group heavily influenced by ’90s indie rock, especially the shorter songs of Built To Spill. Or maybe OGRE’s lead singer just sounds a lot like Dough Martsch. Either way, OGRES’s songs rely on catchy guitars, milking a particular melody for all it’s worth. Just listen to “Coin-Laundry (laundromat),” and marvel how the band latches onto a good idea and just let the guitars gallop away with the song. Sometimes the band’s guitars come close to duplicating the sound Sunset Rubdown’s “adventure” sound, but that’s the only similarity the bands share – OGRE’s lyrics seem much more part of the mix while Spencer Krug’s wailing is what makes Sunset Rubdown’s music.

The best OGRE track I’ve heard yet, though, is the one featured in this video. Again, the group doesn’t deviate much from the main melody during the song’s playtime, but they find an especially great chorus to plop on top of it.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLKfTe2UjgU&hl=en&fs=1&]

Should be a great concert, I tell ya what.

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